1/3 Galaxy S7 Buyers In South Korea Sign Up For Galaxy Club

Upgrading a smartphone to the latest premium model year after year is not something everyone is willing to do, partly due to the fact that flagship phones are rather expensive. Smartphone manufacturers are aware of this, which is why some of them have begun offering “upgrade programs” for smartphone enthusiasts willing to pay a monthly fee in order to secure their next flagship phone at a reduced price. Samsung’s program of this sort was launched in conjunction with the brand new Samsung Galaxy S7 series, and it is already available in countries like UK, Singapore, and, of course, the company’s homeland. But how many Samsung Galaxy S7 buyers are willing to sign up for the so-called Upgrade Programme after all? The answer – at least for prospective customers in South Korea – seems to be 1 out of 3.

The Galaxy S7 series has been available for purchase in South Korea since March 11, and evidently, the company’s new upgrade program (known as “Galaxy Club” in South Korea as opposed to “Samsung Upgrade Programme” in the UK) also became available around that date. Needless to say, prospective customers in South Korea have had a little over two weeks at their disposal to purchase the new Samsung Galaxy S7 and decide whether or not they should sign up for the upgrade program as well. This also gave Samsung enough time to see how many customers will be interested in joining the “Galaxy Club” within the first two weeks of availability. Now, according to Seoul-based Reuters tech reporter Vincent Lee and one of his recent tweets citing Samsung, 1 out of 3 customers in South Korea who have already purchased Samsung’s latest flagship phone have also signed up for Galaxy Club.

Galaxy Club, or Samsung Upgrade Programme if you will, is basically a 24-month payment plan for Samsung Galaxy S7 customers, similar to Apple’s yearly upgrade plan. It allows customers to purchase the new flagship and secure a lower price for the upcoming Galaxy S8, which should be set for a market release in the first half of 2017. The upgrade program offers other benefits too, including a 50% one-time discount for repairing a handset that’s no longer covered by its warranty.